❓WHAT HAPPENED: CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show, citing financial reasons. President Donald J. Trump welcomed the news, prompting a seething response from Colbert.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Stephen Colbert, CBS executives, and President Donald J. Trump.
📍WHEN & WHERE: CBS announced the end of the run for the show, set for May 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Go f**k yourself.” – Stephen Colbert
🎯IMPACT: The cancellation highlights financial challenges in late-night television and political commentary, with Colbert’s show reportedly hemorrhaging around $40 million a year.
Failing late-night host Stephen Colbert had harsh words for President Donald J. Trump after the America First leader mocked the cancellation of his show. During his July 21 broadcast, Colbert told Trump to “go f**k yourself.”
CBS had announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show, stating it was a financial decision. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise in May of 2026,” the network said in a statement. The announcement came shortly after Colbert criticized CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump for doctoring a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, calling it a “big, fat bribe.”
While Democrats and leftist pundits suggest Colbert’s cancellation is politically motivated, reports indicated that the show had been losing the network $40 million annually while employing a team of 200 people, and paying Colbert himself between $15m and $20m annually.
Trump celebrated the news, saying, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
Colbert responded during his broadcast, reading Trump’s statements and saying, “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” before staring into the camera to deliver a humourless “Go f**k yourself.”
The cancellation of The Late Show marks the end of an era in late-night television. Talk show host David Letterman initially started the show in 1993.
Colbert has a message to Trump after his failing late night show got canceled: “Go f*ck yourself.” pic.twitter.com/tQysA52ITT
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 22, 2025
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